"This is crazy": Anthropic CEO blasts AI chip sales to China

What they're saying: The U.S. is many years ahead of China when it comes to making chips, and sending them there could help Beijing catch up, Amodei said in an interview with Bloomberg on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

• Referring to building AI models, Amodei posed: "I've called where we're going with this, a country of geniuses in a data center."
• "So imagine 100 million people smarter than any Nobel Prize winner, and it's going to be under the control of one country or another."

Friction point: Amodei has not been shy about criticizing the administration's policies from preemption to chip sales, even as he tries to defuse tensions.

• Among industry players, Amodei is an outlier in his rebukes, but he is far from alone.

On the Hill, top Republicans like House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Brian Mast (R-Fla.) are pushing legislation that would prevent China from accessing sensitive U.S. technology.

• MAGA influencers like Laura Loomer and AI and crypto czar David Sacks have hit back in defense of the president's policies.

Amodei during the Bloomberg interview skirted placing the blame on Sacks — who is widely viewed as the mastermind behind Trump's AI policies.

• Amodei: "I wouldn't refer to any particular people but I would just say that this particular policy is not well advised."

Context: The pieces are falling into place for certain advanced AI chips to go to China, like the Nvidia H200, the AMD MI325X and other similar ones.

• The Bureau of Industry and Security last week revised its policy for licensing chip sales to China.
• Trump then announced he would impose a 25% tariff on chips like the ones Nvidia plans to ship to China.